Page 256 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sweden

254  SWEDEN AREA B Y AREA

The Dalälven delta, one of the top ten fishing spots in Sweden
1 Dalälven Delta In Österfärnebo, Koversta rural and Heliga Trefaldighets kyrkan,
heritage centre is an 18th-century a three-aisle Baroque church
Gästrikland, Uppland. n Gysinge
Tourist Office, 0291-210 00. _ Weir village, offering an insight into dating from 1654. As a result,
Day in Älvkarleby (first Sun before local rural life. Gävle has attractive 19th-century
Midsummer). buildings and tree-lined espla-
E Dalälvarnas nades as protection against fires.
Before the mighty Dalälven river Flottningsmuseum The jewel is the splendid theatre
empties into the bay at Gävle, it Gysinge Bruk. Tel 0291-210 00. on Rådhusesplanaden, built in
forms an expansive delta with Open mid-May–mid-Aug: daily. 1878. The city park, Boulog­
hundreds of small islands. The & 7 nerskogen, which features Carl
flora and fauna are abundant Milles’ famous sculpture, Five
and the area offers some of the Playing Geniuses, is the most
best sport fishing in Sweden. 2 Gävle popular of Gävle’s parks.
Least affected by forestry and Gästrikland. * 96,000. £ @ South of the Gävleån river
farming is the area around n Drottninggatan 22, 026-17 71 17. lies Gävle Slott, Sweden’s
Färnebofjärden, part of which ∑ visitgavle.se northernmost royal fortifi cation,
was declared a national park in dating from the 16th century.
1998. The birdlife is incredibly Gästrikland’s main town has This is also the location of the
diverse, with more than 100 been the gateway to Norrland old town, “Gamla Gefle”, with
breeding species, including since the Middle Ages. The fine streets of wooden houses
several different endangered mouth of the Gävleån river from the 18th century which
woodpeckers and owls. made an ideal port and traders have attracted many artists
A good place to start exploring set up base here to conduct and craftsmen. Joe Hill
the area is Gysinge on road business in the north. The Gården on N Bergsgatan, the
Rv 67, 38 km (24 miles) south harbour side warehouses along birthplace of the Swedish-
of Gävle. The falls between Skeppsbron bear witness to American union agitator, is
Färnebofjärden and this. Gävle remains one of now a museum. Other
Hedesundafjärden attracted Sweden’s larger ports, although museums include Länsmuseet
ironworking here at the end of operations have moved further Gävleborg with extensive
the 17th century. The well- out into the bay. A fire in 1869 collections relating to the
preserved industrial community destroyed the buildings north history of Gästrikland.
has a main street dating from the of the river, with the exception Sveriges Järnvägsmuseum
1770s and a magnificent manor of the town hall built in 1790 offers a delightful selection of
from 1840. Gysinge is also home old locomotives and carriages,
to Dalälvarnas Flottnings­ from mining titans to neat little
museum, which shows just narrow-gauge carriages.
how important the river once
was for timber transportation.
Another important feature of
the Dalälven river is hydro electric
power, which manifests itself in
Älvkarleby, further down-river.
The imposing power station,
built in 1915, is an attraction in
itself, but the most impressive
sight is when the water is
released at full-flow on Weir Day.
Älvkarleby attracts many anglers,
who annually land as much as 20
tonnes of salmon and sea trout. The oldest Swedish locomotive (1855) in Sveriges Järnvägsmuseum
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp288–9 and pp300–301

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.1)
Date 5th December 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm